A South African woman accused of smuggling cocaine in her dreadlocks appeared in court in Thailand on Monday.

Nolubabalo "Babsie" Nobanda, of Grahamstown was arrested at the Bangkok International Airport in December 2011 for allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine hidden in her dreadlocks.

Her mother, Honjiswa Mbewu, said she had appeared in a court in Bangkok on a charge of drug trafficking. The matter was postponed to June 18 for judgment.

She said the two security officers who arrested her testified that Nobanda co-operated and freely confessed to trafficking in drugs. She said the court heard evidence that the cocaine Nobanda was carrying was mixed with baking powder.

In a letter to her family, which they received this week, Nobanda said she was in good spirits and upbeat about the judgment. She said she would be convicted of attempting to smuggle 600g of cocaine and not 1.5kg as reported earlier.